MNI 5 THINGS: China Oct Inflation Stays 2.5%; Food Costs Fall

     BEIJING (MNI) - Here are five takeaways from the report on China's October

inflation released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday:

     - Consumer price index (CPI) was 2.5% last month, the same as in September,

matching the median 2.5% of an MNI survey. Inflation in January-October rose

2.1% from a year ago.

     - On a monthly basis, CPI gained 0.2%, slowing from 0.7% recorded in

September. Food prices fell 0.3% m/m, reversing a sharp gain of 2.4% in

September. Prices of non-food items gained 0.3% m/m, unchanged from the pace in

September.

     - Producers price index (PPI) gained 3.3% in October over a year ago,

matching the 3.3% projected by the MNI survey. It gained 0.4% m/m, compared with

0.6% gain in September. 

     --Procurement price gained 0.7% m/m, led by 1.7% gain in fuel and power

costs and 0.8% rise in prices of steel materials.   

     - Ex-factory price of crude, coal and other fuel processing production rose

3.1% m/m, decelerating from September's 4.0%. 

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: wanxia.lin@marketnews.com

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 10 8532 5998; email: william.bi@mni-news.com

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